George Simion, leader of Romania's far-right AUR party, who won the first round of the presidential election with nearly 40% of the vote, reiterated that if elected, he would oppose any further assistance to Ukraine and shift Romania’s focus inward.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
"There is Turkey, which maintains channels of communication. And then, above all, there is the People's Republic of China, which, more than anyone else, has the means to make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin come to the negotiating table and soften his demands," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 8.
The United States will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiation to end the war, U.S. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on May 8.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Moscow on May 9 to celebrate Victory Day, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
US President Donald Trump on May 8 called for a "30-day unconditional ceasefire" between Ukraine and Russia. Writing on Truth Social, Trump expressed his hope for "an acceptable ceasefire," with both countries "held accountable for respecting the sanctity of... direct negotiations."
President Volodymyr Zelensky had a "constructive" phone call with United States President Donald Trump on May 8, discussing the war, continued pressure on Russia, and a potential ceasefire.
The survey, conducted between April 24 and May 4, shows that 56.9% of respondents would not be willing to compromise on either territorial integrity or Ukraine’s pro-Western direction in any potential talks with Moscow.
U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, a senior cardinal announced on May 8 to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square, according to Vatican News.
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić and Russia's dictator Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on June 23, 2020. (Source
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has praised Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for his reaction to the rebellion by the Wagner Group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, CNN reported on June 25, citing Vučić's interview with the Serbian Pink TV network.
While acknowledging the role of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko in negotiating the deal between the Kremlin and Prigozhin, Vučić said that Putin was the one who "got it done."
"Everything ended thanks to the strong reaction from President Putin. It was very resolute, clear, and spot on," Vučić said in an interview.
"Putin now has a very difficult task, and that is to raise the motivation of the army and the confidence of the huge number of disillusioned Wagner soldiers. And none of that will be easy," he added.
On June 23, Prigozhin launched an armed insurrection against the Russian government. Wagner occupied Rostov-on-Don, a major regional capital, and marched on Moscow before abruptly ending the rebellion.
Shortly before Prigozhin turned his mercenaries away from Russia's capital, Lukashenko claimed he had successfully negotiated a deal between the Wagner founder and the Russian government.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Francis Farrell
